Daniel Gunn (minister) facts for kids

Daniel Gunn (1774–1848) was an important Scottish minister. He was known for his strong leadership and for growing large church communities. He also started successful schools for children.

Early Life and Ministry

Daniel Gunn was born in Wick, Caithness, Scotland, in 1774. His parents were Ingram Gunn and Elizabeth Miller. He went to high school in Edinburgh and studied to become a minister in Glasgow. His teacher was Greville Ewing.

In 1800, Daniel became an itinerant minister. This means he traveled around to preach. He worked in Ireland, visiting places like Waterford and Dublin. He might have been married and then widowed while living there.

Moving to England

Around 1807, Daniel moved to Ilfracombe in Devon, England. This was because of some unrest in Ireland. In 1808, he married Catherine Vye in Ilfracombe. By 1810, he was the pastor of a small church there.

He moved a few more times:

• In 1813, he moved to Bishop's Hull, near Taunton.
• In 1814, he moved to Chard. Sadly, Catherine died there in 1815.
• In 1816, Daniel married his third wife, Elizabeth Tice. They moved to Christchurch (which was then in Hampshire, now in Dorset). His younger brother, John Gunn, took over his role as minister in Chard.

Success in Christchurch

When Daniel Gunn arrived in Christchurch, the church community was quite small. Some members were Baptists. Daniel preached a sermon that he later said "converted all the sensible Baptists in the place." This means he helped many people understand his teachings better.

His church quickly grew very large. It reached about a thousand members! This was amazing because the total population of Christchurch and nearby areas was only about 2,500 people.

Gunn's Preaching Style

Daniel Gunn's preaching was not emotional. He didn't allow others to preach with strong emotions in his church either. He even sent people to nearby villages with his written sermons. He told them not to add anything extra to what he had written.

Schools and Influence

Daniel Gunn also started a very famous Sunday school. Over 400 children attended it. People from all over the country, and even from America, came to visit and see how well it was run.

He also started a day school. This school was very successful too. He managed it with great care, almost like a military operation.

Ann Taylor, a poet, met Daniel Gunn in Ilfracombe. She said he would patiently teach a boy how to properly offer a chair. He would even call back a young boy on a pony if he forgot to take off his hat to Mrs. Gunn. Even though he was strict, people really admired him. If the Sunday collection wasn't enough, he would put in a five-pound note himself and send the collection plates around again! Ann Taylor called him "the noble highlander," and many people shared her high opinion of him.

Family Life

Daniel Gunn was married three times. He lived like a country gentleman in Burton, near Christchurch. He passed away in Burton on June 17, 1848, when he was 74 years old.

He had six children:

• Two sons with Catherine Vye: Daniel (1811–1890) and an unnamed son who died shortly after birth in 1813.
• Two sons and two daughters with Elizabeth Tice: Eliza (1818–1838), Malachi (1820–1867), William (born and died 1822), and Mary (1825–1911).